Over the past few years, more attention has been devoted to mobile asset tracking - specifically two of the largest addressable markets: trailer tracking and container tracking. ABI Research argues that the government control aspect of container tracking could be holding the market back.

     Similar market requirements and consumer demands exist for containers and trailers: theft prevention, asset utilisation, and specific sensor functionalities such as temperature and shock monitoring. "Despite their similarities, the market for trailer tracking now represents a growing and significant portion of commercial telematics, whereas container tracking is still in its nascent stages," explained ABI Research analyst David Schrier. 116.30.151.81 This article is copyright 2005 UsingRFID.com.

More popular
     According to ABI, hybrid trailer tracking solutions using RFID and GPRS are becoming more popular, particularly in the United Kingdom, where security firm OEM Group has recently won a large order from supermarket retailer Sainsbury''s. And in North America, QUALCOMM, SkyBitz and Terion continue to gain trailer tracking customers by rolling out new feature rich products that turn an increasingly evident ROI.

Drag factor
     So while trailer tracking gains momentum, why is container tracking adoption still sluggish? According to Schrier, "There are two key differences between container tracking and trailer tracking: containers are typically used in international trade, while trailers are usually domestically transported. Containers are therefore subject to greater governmental regulation, and the US government and other nations have been dragging their feet in this area. Second, the custody chain in containers is much more fragmented than with trailers, and no party wants to bear the burden of the increased cost."

Research
     The ABI Research study ''Container Security and Tracking'' examines evolving solutions and technologies for global electronic container tracking. Also, the ABI Research study ''Trailer Tracking Markets'' tracks the varied efforts of vendors around the world to provide trailer tracking and monitoring solutions to a diverse customer base. Both studies can be obtained directly from ABI Research.

 

 

 

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